Addition

The addition was a major effort.  I called in contractors to do some of the heavy lifting - pouring a foundation, framing, and a torch-down roof.  The new area is located behind the garage, on the site of the old patio.  It provides an extra room, adds a doorway directly from the garage to the house, adds a large walk-in closet for the master bedroom, and adds an exterior storage closet at the back of the house.  The start was a bit hectic, so I didn't manage to snap a ton of photos of the foundation and framing, but here's a view peering in from the back of the house at night.

This process also involved adding a new window for the master bedroom, since the old (broken) window was located at the same spot as the doorway to the new walk-in closet.  I carefully chipped away the foam insulation where the new window would go, taking care not to damage any wires, then pulled the wires out while the window was framed.

The new bedroom window overlooks the backyard, which should eventually be a nice view. There are also new skylights in the kitchen and bathrooms.  The exterior door just off the kitchen was relocated to the addition, and a new door was added between the addition and the garage.

Once the framing was up, I set about the electrical work.  Drill holes, run wires, add electric boxes.  Nothing fancy here.  I also ran the usual data cables to the addition, and wired it into the home security sysem.  Making good use of the soffits over the bathtubs, I passed some flex duct through to a vent in the addition.  With the electrical in-place, it was time for another inspection.

Next up was insulation.  I couldn't get a reasonable quote on spray-in foam this time, so instead I bought some fancy polyiso foam board insulation and spray-foamed it into place.  It looks very space-age, and provides equivalent R-value to the sprayed-in stuff.  Here's the exterior wall of the main room of the addition.  The insulation also needed an inspection.

The ceiling was styled with exposed beams to match the rest of the house as closely as possible.  The addition has a higher ceiling than the rest of the house, giving it a spacious feel.  The notched 2x8 beams that pass along the bottoms of the rafters were quite an ordeal.  I had to measure and notch them precisely, then lift the entire 17-foot beam into place, hold it with one hand, and hammer the nails in with the other.

With the insulation inspected, it was time to hang drywall.  At this point it is starting to look like a room.  The exterior was finished with stucco and a new roof rounded out the contracting work.

Here's a view of the other side of the addition, facing the kitchen.  With the drywall up, it was time for yet another inspection.

After the inspection, the tape and mud process begins.  This shot is the corner of the walk-in closet.  At this point, the addition is pretty much caught up with the rest of the house, which is in various stages of tape/mud/paint.